Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 14

The Contract

I decided to make use of Aren Lan‘s hospitality and took a long bath to clear my head. Afterwards, I wrapped myself in a hotel bathrobe and lay down on the bed. I started analyzing what kind of proof he could have against me...

He didn‘t have my laptops, but even if he had, I made sure there were no traces of evidence that I had broken into Blue Crystal Hotel‘s system. The little worm I had downloaded to their computer had self– deleted already, and not even the best specialist could bring it back, let alone connect it with me.

I needed to shut down the panic within me by building a solid wall of rational arguments. All Aren Lan had were assumptions, nothing solid enough to press any charges against me. I needed to rely on the fact that this man was a public figure running a legit business. He could make my life harder than it already was. He could make me fired from Café Dorado, or even make me move out from New York City if he wanted to, but he would use legal means to do it. For God‘s sake, he wasn‘t some kind of boss of some underworld organization... Was he?

After tossing and turning the whole night, I decided to stick to common sense. Aren Lan had no way to prove that I had anything to do with devastating his engagement party. I could have been there by coincidence, just like a hundred other café guests. Besides, playing a slideshow on the big screen wasn‘t exactly making me a serious criminal.

As my eyes met the sunrise, I felt confident and ready to face whatever Aren Lan had for me. Like Mr. Edmond said, at seven o‘clock, the hotel maid brought me fresh, or rather new, clothes... and lingerie. I was reluctant to wear them, but the smelly condition of my yesterday‘s clothing could drastically decrease my confidence. I had to admit that the fact that everything fit perfectly was quite disturbing. I had never worn anything that would make me feel sexier than the cream lace set of lingerie I was given, while the light blue dress with a medium neckline, fitted waistline, and a flared skirt gave me an elegant

and feminine look. I must admit that the way Aren Lan treated his prisoner was quite peculiar, not that I would complain... so far.

A half–hour later, someone brought me breakfast: scrambled eggs, croissants with butter, a vegetable salad, a fruit salad for dessert, and well–made coffee. I started to wonder if eating everything they had brought me was even possible, but then again, it could have been my last meal... Of course, I waved that thought away, doing my best to keep my composure and positive thinking

At eight o‘clock, two security guards came, and I was taken to an office. Somehow, I felt calm and confident. I was focused and I thought I was ready for whatever Aren Lan would throw at me, but I realized that I wasn‘t... not when Lan‘s lawyer walked into the room and presented me with a contract... a marriage agreement! At first, I thought that it was a joke. Isn‘t it something you can only read about in romance books? A sexy billionaire pays an innocent and poor girl to marry him...? Such clichéd things don‘t happen in real life! And of course, it was different than the romance novel situation. I wasn‘t the innocent type of girl, and Aren Lan sure as hell didn‘t consider paying me any money for being his wife. As he walked into the room, I could hear his threat instead.

The Contract ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“You can either sign it or go to jail,” he said harshly.

I knew that he was positive that I was the one responsible for hacking into the hotel‘s system, and he didn‘t care that he had no physical evidence to prove it. The logical arguments I had been memorizing throughout the night turned out to be completely useless...

“You still don‘t get it, do you? I own this city. It means that if I say you go to jail, that means you go to jail, and if I say that I want you, that means you are already mine.”

I swallowed hard. I knew that he meant every word, but somehow I wasn‘t scared. I was flustered... and agitated. Why did his threat arouse me?! This was insane, and I needed to rely on my common sense,

even if I struggled to do so. “Why in hell would you want to marry me?” I asked, hoping to point out how crazy his idea was.

“Because marrying Nicole Saxon is no longer an option,” he answered indifferently. I blinked my eyes as if it would help clarify what he said. “What?”

Aren gestured at the lawyer, and the man nodded and walked out of the room. Then he sighed and sat on the sofa in front of the one I was sitting on. “I need to get married, and I need to be a married man until the end of this month.” Then he leaned forward, glowering at me. “I would have been married by then if it weren‘t for you. It is only natural that you fix what you‘ve messed up.”

I smiled nervously. “Don‘t you think you are overreacting? That girl was like the worst bitch ever. I think I have saved you from a lot of trouble and losing money,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He laughed coldly and leaned his back on the sofa. “Do you seriously think I didn‘t know about her? I knew everything concerning her before I let her get near me. She wasn‘t trouble; she was an idiot. She wanted to get into my bed so badly that she would have signed even the worst kind of prenup.” ,“Why did you want to marry her then?” I asked hesitantly.

He shrugged. “It was business, plus she had a fine body to fuck.” I didn‘t miss the way he scanned my body while mentioning hers. Was he evaluating me?! Was he checking if I was fuckable?! Seriously, I wanted to punch his smirking face! The problem was that I was still in his territory, and I wouldn‘t like to meet one of his security guards again. I took a deep breath to calm down.

“If it‘s a business deal, then you can marry whoever you want. I‘m sure there are plenty of women who would love to sign whatever contract you would offer.” I tried to stay reasonable, despite my internal turmoil. He smirked. “They would cost me more than you will.” I clenched my teeth trying to ignore the bitter meaning of his words. “I‘m sure there are many women who wouldn‘t want any money to marry you.” He chuckled. “Not if I only need to be married for two years. I wouldn’t be paying to get married, but to get a divorce. But in your case... the price is your freedom. It‘s the best deal for

The contract

me and the only deal for you.”

My irritation grew. “This is blackmail. Besides, if I were you, I wouldn‘t be so sure that I would send me to jail, not without any evidence,” I challenged.

“Do you really dare test me on that?” A wicked grin painted his face, making me flinch. “Are you brave enough to risk your life? Are you prepared to risk your grandmother‘s life as well?”

I jumped to my feet and glared at him. “Leave my Grandma out of this!” I roared. “If you dare touch her… I swear 1–”

“I‘m not a monster, Cora.” He stopped my outrage with a soothing tone in his voice. “In fact, I‘m considering paying for your grandmother‘s treatment if you behave well.”

Bemused, I sat back on the sofa and stared at him, processing the sudden change in his expression. Beneath his arrogance, I could almost notice warmth... Or perhaps I was just trying to convince myself that he was capable of caring for others.

“Let‘s not waste more time, shall we?” he said, pulling me out of bewilderment. “I will give you ten minutes to read the contract.”

He got up and left the room, leaving me alone. The sole idea of marrying him sounded absurd, but my calculative brain was able to understand his arguments. If for some reason, he needed to become a married man, picking a wife he could control would have been the best option. He was well aware that I wouldn‘t make any demands by the time of our divorce. He had leverage, and we both knew that I had no means to fight against him. Nonetheless, I needed to think of myself in this equation...

The contract stated that our marriage would last exactly 24 months. As Mrs. Lan, I would have to live in his penthouse on Park Avenue... which wouldn‘t be a great sacrifice. I would also

re were no bad conditions in that contract… That made me check the whole document again, more carefully this time. When I couldn‘t find anything disturbing after reading the contract three times, I slowly started to get used to this crazy idea of becoming his contracted second half.

As the ten minutes passed, Aren walked back to the room, followed by the lawyer and Mr. Edmond, who smiled at me and bowed. I smiled, greeting him, but as soon as Aren noticed it, he glared at Mr. Edmond, making him step back almost against the door. Was he jealous or something? “Ready to sign?” Aren asked, sitting in front of me.

The lawyer stood by his side, ready to assist at any time. He awkwardly resembled a lowly servant bowing to the king. I smiled nervously, shifting my eyes from him to Aren.

“I have a few questions,” I started, “Do I need to quit my job?” “Yes,” he replied immediately. “Our marriage would only last for two years. I wouldn‘t miss my job at the café, but I want to keep my work as a computer specialist and our workshop,” I demanded.

A faint smile flashed on his face. “Agreed. As long as you won‘t drag my name into it. It would be best if you worked anonymously from now on.”

“That is fine with me,” I replied, slightly surprised that he could be convinced that easily,

“Is that all?” He raised his eyebrows, intensifying his gaze on me.

I took a deep breath. “Will you... really take care of my Grandma‘s medical bills?” My question came out weakly.

“It is only natural for a husband to take care of a wife‘s only living member of the family, is it

not?”

His response made something in my stomach flutter, although I still couldn‘t get used to this husband– wife thing. Nonetheless, I couldn‘t help but smile.

“Will you sign it now?” he urged.

“One last question,” I promised, satisfied that I had managed to settle the major issues. “Why do I need to go through the complete medical check–up? It‘s not like I‘m going to die or become seriously ill during those two years... “I laughed awkwardly.

“If I may,” the lawyer interjected. “Ma‘am, the check–up is a must before sexual intercourse.”

The blood drained from my face as I slowly began to realize that I had been ignoring the marriage part of this contract. “The... what?” I choked out.

The lawyer repeated composedly, “You need to be examined before your first sexual intercourse with Mr. Lan.”